15 teacher’s guide phillis wheatley - hmhco.com · pdf filelesson 15 teacher’s...

Number of Words: 2,200

L E S S O N 1 5 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

Phillis Wheatley by Max Tensing

Fountas-Pinnell Level TNarrative NonfictionSelection SummaryBorn in Africa, Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped and sold into slavery to a family in Boston, where she learned to read and write. She became the fi rst African American to publish a book; George Washington admired her poetry.

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Permission is hereby granted to individual teachers using the corresponding (discipline) Leveled Readers to photocopy student worksheets from this publication in classroom quantities for instructional use and not for resale. Requests for information on other matters regarding duplication of this work should be addressed to Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 SouthPark Center Loop, Orlando, Florida 32819. Printed in the U.S.A. 978-0-547-30914-9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0940 15 14 13 12 11 10 09

If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.

Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

Characteristics of the Text Genre • Narrative nonfi ction, biography

Text Structure • Third-person narrative • Organized in eight short chapters• Chapters represent periods in Wheatley’s life

Content • Life as an enslaved black in New England• Signifi cance of education in colonial times• Historical events from 1700s

Themes and Ideas • Writing can transform someone’s life.• Success can be achieved by persevering.• Racial inequality is unjust.

Language and Literary Features

• Clear, conversational language • Samples from couplets and letters

Sentence Complexity • A mix of short and complex sentences• Words in quotation marks; italics for terms• Multiple items in series

Vocabulary • Some literary phrases: heroic couplets, rhyming • Words related to historical era: enslaved, colonist

Words • Many challenging multisyllable words: patroness, revolutionary, BostoniansIllustrations • Color illustrations

• CaptionsBook and Print Features • Fifteen pages with illustrations on many pages

• Timeline and sidebars© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

5_309149_OL_LRTG_L15_PhillisWheatley.indd 1 11/4/09 2:14:42 PM

Target Vocabulary

effi cient – brings about results without a waste of time or resources, p. 14

lacked – didn’t have something when it was needed, p. 7

mimic – an object or action that imitates a real object or action, p. 10

mocking – imitating someone in an insulting way, p. 4

organize – to arrange things according to a system, p. 13

peal – a loud burst of noise, especially the ringing of a bell, p. 4

personally – done in person or by one’s self, p. 7

rural – in the countryside, p. 4summons – calls something up or

brings it forward, p. 12tedious – something that is

boring, p. 7

Phillis Wheatley by Max Tensing

Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge about Colonial America to visualize the selection. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: What problems do you think a colonial woman might have had if she tried to publish a book? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Note the eight chapter heads. Tell students that this selection is narrative nonfi ction so it will give factual information by telling a true account.

Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions:

: Read aloud the second paragraph on page 2. Explain that they will fi nd out in this fi rst chapter why Phillis Wheatley was invited to meet George Washington.

Page 4: Explain that this chapter goes back in time to tell how Phillis Wheatley arrived in Boston at the age of 7. Direct students to the chapter heading. Suggested language: As you read, look for details that show how colonial Boston might look to a girl from a rural area.

Page 7: Read the sentences: The Wheatleys’ religion taught them to treat enslaved blacks as part of the family. Phillis never had to do tedious chores. Ask: How do you think Phillis felt about her role in the family?

Page 9: Call attention to the phrase “trapped between two worlds.” Ask: What does this mean? How do you think it describes Phillis Wheatley’s life?

Now go back to the beginning and read to fi nd out about Phillis Wheatley’s unusual life and accomplishments.

2 Lesson 15: Phillis Wheatley Grade 5© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

5_309149_OL_LRTG_L15_PhillisWheatley.indd 25_309149_OL_LRTG_L15_PhillisWheatley.indd 2 7/29/09 10:55:34 AM7/29/09 10:55:34 AM

ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their problem solving and fl uency as needed.

Remind students to use the Monitor/Clarify Strategy as they read. Tell them to think about what isn’t making sense and to try to fi nd ways to fi gure out parts that are confusing.

Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the book.Suggested language: How did Phillis deal with the obstacles in her life? What do you think motivated her to continue writing?

Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:

Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text

• Phillis was intent on learning English and other lessons that Mary taught her. It was uncommon for enslaved blacks to receive any education at all.

• Phillis’s poetry book led to her popularity as a poet in America and England. It also eventually brought her freedom from slavery.

• It is possible to attain success if you persist despite problems and diffi culties.

• Writing can cross through all social barriers and inspire others.

• Without the Wheatley family, Phillis might never have discovered her talent for writing poetry.

• The illustrations, photograph, and historic writing samples offer additional insight into Phillis’s life.

• The timeline of important dates summarizes key events.

• The narrative tells about Phillis’s contribution to American literature and has a beginning, middle, and end.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choral read Alexander Pope’s poem, which uses “heroic

couplets,” on page 10. Remind them to pay attention to punctuation, and to stress important words as they interpret the text while reading the paired rhyming lines.

• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas.

• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using examples from the text. Have students defi ne the word “disregard” based on its use on page 6. Ask students to name other words that share the prefi x “dis.” Some examples include disobey, distrust, and dislike.



Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 15.8.

RespondingHave students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.

Target Comprehension SkillCompare and Contrast

Target Comprehension Skill Have students note the similarities and

differences among the characters and plot details. Help them to recognize signal words in the text such as like, alike, same, different so that they can compare similarities and differences. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

Fill in the outer circle of the Venn diagram by writing how Mary is different from Phillis. You might write: born in North America, lived with her parents, privileged, hoped to become a teacher. Then think how both girls are alike. In the middle oval, you could write: lived in Boston, enjoyed learning, intelligent, valued friendship.

Practice the SkillEncourage students to share their examples of another book that uses Compare and Contrast to tell about a young woman who accomplished a goal by persevering.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the writing prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understanding.

Assessment Prompts• What sentences from pages 13 and 14 show that Phillis is determined to succeed at

writing?

• What is the important message in the selection?

• How does the author organize the information in pages 2 through 3 in this book?



born in Africa,

then sold into slavery and brought

to North America

? ?

Phillis Wheatley Both Mary Wheatley

RespondingTARGET SKILL Compare and Contrast How

were Phillis Wheatley and Mary Wheatley alike?

How were they different? Copy and complete the

diagram below to show your answers.

Write About It

Text to Text Think about another selection you have

read that tells about a writer or poet. Write a few

paragraphs telling about that writer’s life and

accomplishments.

19

5_017563_OL_LRSE_L15_PhillisWhea19 19 1/9/10 4:58:05 PM

Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text What did Phillis have to do to prove that she

was the author of her poems?

2. Think within the text Why is Phillis Wheatley called “the mother of

African American Literature”?

3. Think beyond the text Compare and contrast Phillis’s life with that

of most other slaves.

4. Think about the text Do you think that the author considered

Phillis Wheatley to be a hero? Explain why or why not.

Making Connections Phillis Wheatley enjoyed writing heroic couplets. A heroic couplet is a pair of lines that rhyme. Each line has ten syllables. Create your own heroic couplet about Phillis Wheatley.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Phillis WheatleyCritical Thinking

Critical Thinking© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Grade 5, Unit 3: Revolution!10

Lesson 15B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 1 5 . 8

Name Date

She got a signed letter from Boston’s most respected men stating

that she wrote the poems.

She was the fi rst African American woman to write poetry and

publish a book.

Unlike other slaves, Phillis did not have to do diffi cult and tiring

chores. She was taught to read and write, and treated as part of

the family. Like other slaves, she was not free.

Yes, because even though her life was diffi cult, she worked hard

and was successful.

Possible responses shown.

10_5_246253RTXEAN_L15.indd 10 3/23/09 10:57:33 AM

English Language DevelopmentReading Support Check regularly on students’ oral reading to determine accuracy, fl uency, and comprehension.

Idioms The text includes some idioms that might be unfamiliar. Explain the meaning of expressions such as like a sponge (page 7) and tongue-tied (page 3).

Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced

Speaker 1: In what city did the Wheatleys live?

Speaker 2: Boston

Speaker 1: What general had Phillis been invited to meet?

Speaker 2: General George Washington

Speaker 1: How old was Phillis when her fi rst poem was published?

Speaker 2: 14 years old

Speaker 1: What type of poetry did Phillis mimic when she began writing poems?

Speaker 2: She used heroic couplets to tell a story.

Speaker 1: Why did Phillis need people to people to sign a letter to testify that she wrote her poems?

Speaker 2: Publishers did not believe that an enslaved woman could write poetry.

Speaker 1: How did Phillis disprove the belief among many colonists that enslaved Africans were incapable of learning?

Speaker 2: Phillis learned all of the information she could during her lessons with Mary. Her zeal for learning gave her an education better than many female colonists.



Name Date

Phillis WheatleyThinking Beyond the Text

Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two paragraphs.

Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

On page 11, the author describes how Phillis Wheatley wrote poems about current events during the American Revolution. What are some of the current events she wrote about? How do you think political and social issues of the current time inspired Wheatley’s creativity and motivation to write? Give several examples of how her poems reflect this.



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text What did Phillis have to do to prove that she

was the author of her poems?

2. Think within the text Why is Phillis Wheatley called “the mother of

African American Literature”?

3. Think beyond the text Compare and contrast Phillis’s life with that

of most other slaves.

4. Think about the text Do you think that the author considered

Phillis Wheatley to be a hero? Explain why or why not.

Making Connections Phillis Wheatley enjoyed writing heroic couplets. A heroic couplet is a pair of lines that rhyme. Each line has ten syllables. Create your own heroic couplet about Phillis Wheatley.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Phillis WheatleyCritical Thinking

Lesson 15B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 1 5 . 8

Name Date



1414

326

Student Date Lesson 15

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 1 5 . 1 2

Phillis WheatleyRunning Record Form

Phillis Wheatley • LEVEL T

Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

®cat

0

Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

ˆcat 1

Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

8

9

Phillis’s many accomplishments were considered amazing.

Most Americans at that time thought that Africans were not

capable of learning as well as white colonists. Some believed

that they could not learn at all. Of course, these people rarely

tested their theory by offering enslaved Africans the

opportunity to learn.

Phillis Wheatley proved many people wrong. Thanks to her

eagerness to work, she soon had a better education than many

free girls in the colonies.

Phillis easily overcame educational obstacles. But social

obstacles were a bigger problem. Phillis was often invited to

the homes of Boston’s wealthy families.

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read

correctly/97 × 100)

%

Total Self- Corrections



15 teacher’s guide phillis wheatley - hmhco.com · pdf filelesson 15 teacher’s...

Documents